TED talks and a child's interest

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We've been watching daily TED talks on tv lately (the hubby really likes them, and so do I). If you aren't familiar with TED talks, they are these little "lectures" given to an audience on a variety of subjects, and they may last anywhere inbetween five and forty-five or so minutes. The topics vary -- they could be on something as technical as glasses for the paralyzed where the people can use the movement of their eyes to communicate, or something as touchy-feely as how to use compassion in the business world.

The reason why I bring this up is because our 15 year old son is watching these with us -- sometimes. It has been a great lesson for me in seeing how he can pay REALLY GOOD ATTENTION to anything that interests him. If the TED talk is technical, my son will stop playing a game on his iTouch and pay attention for the whole time, no matter how long the talk is. If the TED talk is given by a MAN who is dynamic, even if the subject is somewhat touchy feely or non-technical, my son will pay attention. If the TED talk is by a woman (and honestly, my son isn't horribly chauvinist), or if it's on a touchy-feely subject, my son cannot or will not pay attention. It's fascinating to observe which topics will make his head bounce up from the iTouch and sustain his attention. It's also somewhat helpful in determining what interests my son enough to watch -- which could be interesting enough for my son to possibly look into for a career later in life.

What interesting observations! I wonder why the female speakers are less interesting to him...hmmm.... I agree that this could provide valuable insights to future career paths for your son. (Or if nothing else, just meaningful hobbies.) I love those TED talks too - so diverse and interesting!
Good luck with your journey!

I LOVE TED talks, and my sons often watch them with me too.

Isn't it pretty typical for young men to respond better to information/advice given by another male rather than a female? It is common from what I have personally observed, but I am not aware of any science to back this up (or refute it...).